Fire captain pleads not guilty

May 04, 2011

A Long Beach fire captain and Huntington Beach resident charged with injuring a cyclist while driving drunk pleaded not guilty Tuesday at Orange County Superior Court, according to a district attorney spokeswoman.

John David Hines, 38, turned himself in Tuesday morning, according to prosecutors. An arrest warrant worth $250,000 had been issued for him.

His pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 17 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

Hines allegedly became intoxicated on the morning of April 1, then drove erratically on Westminster Avenue in Seal Beach in his Chevrolet pickup truck with an alcohol level of .24, three times the legal limit. According to prosecutors, he lost control and swerved into the bike lane, hitting Jeffrey Gordon, 47.

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Hines then fled, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. He was later tracked down by Seal Beach police at his residence in Huntington Beach.

A spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department declined last week to say whether Hines is still employed with the department.

Gordon spent two weeks at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, according to the district attorney's office.